Pastor James Ng’ang’a, the founder of the Neno Evangelism Centre, has criticized the Nairobi City County administration for alleged harassment during the latest land rate crackdown.
The furious pastor resorted to social media to challenge City Hall, stating that the county government had planned to extract Ksh10 million under the pretense of land prices.
According to Pastor Ng’ang’a, he received a land rate waiver during the reign of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, which he claims is still valid today.The preacher indicated that he had paperwork to back up his assertions.
He said that the current Nairobi County government had neglected to provide any written or official information regarding pending land rates.
“I was given a letter by Mike Sonko, who gave us a waiver on churches in town. I have the papers. Since you came into office, you’ve never given us a letter to cancel it,” the pastor insisted.
Pastor Ng’ang’a went on to argue that the county government’s recent measures were politically motivated and part of a larger effort to extract funds from institutions.
This includes the closure of the Freemason Hall past week.
“If the Freemasons have refused to pay, don’t say I have refused to pay. If I have refused, come on Wednesday. That is the price of shoes,” he added.
On Tuesday, the Nairobi County government closed four buildings in the central business area due to unpaid rent, threatening to close another 20 in the coming days. At the time, Tiras Njoroge, Nairobi County’s Receiver of Revenue, stated that the effort aims to reclaim billions of shillings in unpaid land fees.
He stated that those impacted had failed to fulfill their obligations, despite the county giving them the opportunity to demonstrate goodwill by paying the arrears.
According to county documents, the situation is serious. Of the approximately 256,000 registered land parcels in Nairobi, just 50,000 are now paying land fees, suggesting an alarming compliance rate of about 20%.
The outspoken preacher challenged Nairobi County officials to legally cancel the waiver if they expected him to pay under the new terms.
Pastor Ng’ang’a’s church appears to be among the buildings targeted by the crackdown.“Write me a letter cancelling the waiver given by Mike Sonko, who was the governor. I’ve not declined to pay,” he went on.
“Write me a letter saying you’ve revoked the waiver. You charge me your own rates through a letter. If you want cash, I’ll give you cash.”
